WOW!!! This book was pure Alpha romance perfection!! I loved every single word and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gorgeous, sexy, well-written second chance romance that will make your heart race as two estranged lovers who were married in a whirlwind ceremony are reunited after a nine year long separation only to find that the intensity of the love they shared is just strong as they day they were separated…

After falling in love with Devney Perry’s writing earlier this year in The Coppersmith Farmhouse (my review), I was incredibly excited to read whatever she wrote next! While each book in this series is a standalones, the characters are all part of a small town and so there are delightful crossovers and cameos that are a treat to any reader who is familiar with the couples from previous books. New readers however can jump right in too.

The Clover Chapel was Nick and Emmy’s book. Their story began nine years ago in Vegas where one wild night led to an spontaneous marriage between these two strangers from opposite sides of the country who shared little in common other than their undeniable attraction to each other and sparking chemistry. But when Emmy woke up the next morning, her gorgeous new husband Nick was gone leaving nothing behind but a note.

Nearly a decade later, she needed an escape from the stifling city life she’d never even wanted. Finally determined to pursue a career she’d always dreamed about, she accepted a teaching post in a small town and her whole world turned upside down when she arrived and came face to face with long lost husband.

Nick had regretted leaving her since the moment he’d walked away and even though he’d done so for noble reasons, now that he was facing a second chance with the only woman he had ever loved, he was determined to do everything in his power to win back her trust and give them the happily ever after they’d always deserved…

She took a dare and fell in love. Truth would have been the smarter choice.

After years of living under her father’s thumb, Emmeline is ready to break free. She’s abandoned her life as a New York socialite to follow her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher in a small, wholesome town. Seeing the man that nearly broke her was absolutely not what she had hoped to find in Prescott, Montana.

Nick hasn’t seen his Emmy in nine years, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten a thing about the woman he loves. After just one blissful night as man and wife, he gave her up, sacrificing his own happiness to keep her safe—far away from him. But the moment she walks back into his lonely life is the moment he decides never to let her go again. He won’t waste his second chance. All he has to do is win back Emmeline’s heart, keep her safe from the shadows in his past and prove to her that taking a wager on him is a sure bet.

OH MY HEAVENS, YOU GUYS!!! There was SO MUCH SWOON in this book! I swear to you, Nick will melt your heart over and over and over and over again! Ahhhh even just that moment when they first saw each other again after such a long separation was pure, palm-tingling book magic!

Devney Perry’s books deliver that exact perfect balance between everything I love to read about in romance. Her writing FLOWS effortlessly — it’s brimming with emotions and sensual heat, and manages to be equally character and plot driven. Once I started reading this book, I just didn’t want to put it down even for a minute.

“If you keep looking at my mouth, I’m going to kiss you,” he said.

I absolutely loved that even though they’d been separated for over nine years, Nick treated her with such deep love and respect even from the start of their reunion. He had been the one to leave her in Vegas and that guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders. But he’d had a solid reason for doing so — right or wrong, at the time he truly believed it was the only way to protect her. But now that she’d come into his life again, he wasn’t going to let her go until he’d shown her the depth of his love.

“Emmy.”
“Emmeline!”
“Emmy. You’ll always be my Emmy.”
“I’m not your anything, Nick.”
“You’re my wife.”
“A paper certificate does not make me your wife,” I said.
His frame deflated and his eyes filled with regret. “Forgive me. Give us a chance. We have something here and you know I’m right… Your heart still belongs to me.”

My heart broke for Nick even while I understood Emmy’s reluctance to trust him. But anyone who reads even one page of these two together will be able to see without a shadow of a doubt that they were soul mates.

“I want a chance,” Nick said.
“A chance for what?” I asked.
“A chance to start again.”
My mouth fell open. Was he serious? “What? Why?”
“You asked me back then if I believed in fate. I didn’t until I met you. And I’ve spent nine years thinking I’d never see your face again. But fate brought you back into my life and I’m not going to mess it up again.”
I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat and speak. “You left me.”
“Please believe I did it for a good reason. And not a day has gone by when I haven’t regretted it.”

To be honest, I find it’s really rare to come across an Alpha male romance that is done this right. A true Alpha hero in my eyes has a delicate balance between possessiveness and protectiveness, he’s a bit overbearing but only because he cares so much but is also sweet and caring, loving and sexy. Different Alpha heroes have different measures of those qualities but, to me, the books in this series have the perfect balance of everything.

“I’m sorry. I am so fucking sorry, Emmy,” he whispered, peppering my hands with kisses.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” I asked. “You could have told me back then. We could have worked something out.”
“Because I knew that if I looked into your eyes again, I would never let you go. And you were too good for that life. You needed someone who could give you so much more than I ever could… You’ve always had my heart, Emmy.”

Nick’s devotion to Emmy was utterly heart-melting — especially the way he wouldn’t let anything come between them. Honestly, I can’t tell you how much I appreciated what a functional couple they were. Sure, they each made mistakes — who doesn’t? — but it was clear that they both respected and loved each other enough to work together to get through every hurdle they came across.

“I thought about you every day for nine years, wondering what you were doing. I had questions I wanted to ask but couldn’t. Those nine years are on me. It was my mistake to walk away from you but I’m not doing it again. And I won’t let you do it either. All I’m asking for is time. I’ll prove to you that you can trust me again.”

I feel like I could read this series forever and there are so many couples and characters with stories to tell in this town so I’m incredibly excited for all the next books! I seriously want to read everyone’s story!

While this book is undeniably a Romance, there is also another more suspenseful storyline running parallel to the love story and I was equally wrapped up in both sides of this story. But let me tell you — things got INTENSE towards the end! My heart raced and pounded and I flipped those pages so fast that I barely took time to breathe.

I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty rare for me to rate a book 5 stars but honestly, I literally loved every single thing about this book. The romance, the writing, the story, the characters, the setting, the emotions, the humor, the suspense, the heat, the heart, everything was perfect. So far, both books in this series are in my Top 5 Favorites of 2017!

Devney Perry’s writing is top notch. If you’d told me this was her tenth book rather than her second, I would have absolutely believed you. There’s a flawless quality to the way her stories flow and a raw honesty to her characters that are at the heart of what has made me fall in love with her writing.

If you’re looking for an addictive second chance romance that’ll keep your heart racing, a swoony Alpha hero who’ll sweep you off your feet, and a strong sassy heroine who’ll make you smile, then I highly recommend this book!!

Is there any chance you’re willing to tell me if they are with other people while separated? I realoze that 9 years is a ridiculous long time to be apart, but vows are vows and cheating is a hard limit for me. Thanks!

They met in Vegas, got married the same night, and in the morning he disappeared and she didn’t see or hear from him again for a decade despite repeated attempts to track him down. Now, he left her for a solid reason — he was under the impression that it was the only way to protect her. But expecting either of them to honor those vows for that entire decade wouldn’t really be fair — especially to her given that she had no way of getting a divorce after he’d vanished. Neither of them really slept around but over the years, yes they did sleep with other people. It was made clear in the story that nobody else ever measured up to each other. But under no circumstances would I ever consider it cheating to have slept with someone else during their nine year separation given their unique situation and that they’d been married on a one-night whim. They loved each other like crazy though and once they were reunited, they were completely devoted to each other.